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Bruno Itan

An eyewitness who witnessed the aftermath of an extensive law enforcement action in the metropolitan area has reported how local people brought back badly injured victims of the deceased individuals.

The victims "kept piling up: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45...", the eyewitness stated. They included those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "severely damaged", he said. Several bodies showed evidence of knife injuries.

In excess of 120 victims lost their lives in the Tuesday operation on a criminal gang - the most lethal operation Rio has experienced.

The eyewitness reported that he was first alerted concerning the action early on Tuesday by local people from the Alemão area, who contacted him telling him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The eyewitness made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were coming in.

The photographer stated that security forces blocked media personnel from accessing the affected area, where the security measures were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel established a perimeter and said: 'Media representatives are not allowed to pass'."

But Itan, who spent his childhood in the area, stated he was able to enter into the restricted zone, where he stayed until dawn.

He described that evening, local residents started looking the elevated terrain which divides the Penha neighborhood from the neighboring Alemão community for relatives who were unaccounted for after the operation.

Community members from the Penha area arranged the recovered bodies in a square - the documented evidence reveal the response of the people there.

"The violence of it all impacted me a lot: the sorrow of loved ones, mothers fainting, expectant spouses, crying, furious relatives," the photographer recalled.

Bruno Itan

The governor of Rio state announced that the large-scale security action deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was aimed at preventing a criminal group called the criminal faction from increasing their control.

Originally, state authorities claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" had been killed in the raid.

Officials subsequently stated that initial estimates shows that 117 individuals have been killed.

The legal assistance organization, that offers legal help to low-income residents, has calculated the total number of fatalities at 132.

According to researchers, the criminal organization represents the unique criminal entity which in recent years has succeeded to increase its control throughout Rio state.

It is generally regarded one of the two largest gangs nationally, together with First Capital Command, featuring a timeline spanning over five decades.

Based on Brazilian journalist a specialist, with extensive experience documenting criminal activity in the city extensively, Red Command "functions as a network" with neighborhood bosses affiliating with the group and becoming "commercial associates".

The criminal group focuses mainly on drug trafficking, additionally trafficking guns, gold, energy resources, beverages and tobacco.

Based on official reports, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that throughout the operation, they came under attack via weaponized unmanned aircraft.

The state leader of Rio state, the government representative, labeled organization participants as "narcoterrorists" and described the law enforcement personnel who died during the operation as "heroes".

But the number of people killed in the operation has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights saying it was "horrified".

In a media appearance the following day, the official defended the police force.

"We did not plan to result in deaths. We aimed to arrest them all alive," he declared.

He further explained that the events intensified due to the alleged criminals had retaliated: "It was a consequence of the counterattack they implemented and the disproportionate use of force by those criminals."

The official additionally stated that the casualties displayed by locals in Penha had been "manipulated".

In a post on social media, he claimed that certain victims had been removed of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation toward law enforcement".

A police official from the police department further reported that tactical gear, protective equipment, and firearms" were stripped from the casualties and presented video apparently demonstrating a man removing tactical gear {off a corpse